"Yuusha (Brave)" - Sousou no Frieren Opening Theme 1

 YOASOBI is incredible! I've been hooked on them since hearing this theme song for Sousou no Frieren. This is "Yuusha" or "Brave" in English. And what a way to start an episode.

YOASOBI is a duo made up of Ayase, who composes and produces the music, and Ikura, who does the vocals. They have a unique sound that is difficult to classify into a genre. Very poppy, but also electronic. They have a band for live performances, as well. This song is amazing. I absolutely love hearing it, and look forward to hearing it at the beginning of each episode. It's the opening theme for episodes 1 to 16. This catchy song is replaced by another one in episode 17.

The animation is colourful, though with an interesting filter over top making it look like pastel colours in many cases. Great introduction to the main characters, as well as Frieren's old company and one of the main villains early on. It's an attractive opening both visually and musically. I love it!

Check out the opening here:

What do you think of "Yuusha"? 

"Wonderful Life" - Planetes Ending Theme

 The ending theme of Planetes is "Wonderful Life" by Sakai Mikio. The opening was also sung by the same singer. Very similar to the opening, it gives you a very comfortable feeling, and is happy and optimistic.

Overall, the song is a good ending theme. Not my favourite, but I can listen to it without skipping it, as it has grown on me. I can sometimes be pretty particular with opening and ending theme songs, but this one passes the test, I'd say.

The animation is mainly Hachirota through various stages of his life running or riding his bicycle or motorcycle, usually having something to do with space launches. It's a good backdrop to the credits. What I find interesting is that even though this is decades in the future, the cars and motorcycles look the same as they do today.

Here is the creditless ending theme:

What do you think of this ending theme?

"Dive in the Sky" - Planetes Opening Theme Song

 The opening theme song of Planetes is "Dive in the Sky" by Sakai Mikio. While it isn't my favourite opening theme of an anime, it did grow on me.

The song itself is a medium tempo song that sets the feeling for the series quite well. I do enjoy hearing it now, though I'm more of a fan of uptempo anime music. I hadn't heard of Sakai before Planetes, but he sounds like a good singer.

The animation is quite interesting to me. I have a degree in astronomy, and space travel is of particular interest. You see the characters being introduced by name over a backdrop of historical space launches. If you pause long enough, you can read some facts about the space missions. Minor characters are also seen in the opening credits, though not named.

Overall, I enjoyed this opening theme. It's calming, yet gives a feeling of hope. Watch it right here:

What do you think of this opening theme? Let me know!

Sousou no Frieren Episode 17: Feel-Good Episode, but Bittersweet

 It feels strange starting the episodic reviews of Sousou no Frieren with episode 17, but it's oddly a good place to do it. The opening and ending changed! Keep in mind that there are spoilers in this review.

We start with Sein deciding whether to leave for Tur to find his friend Gorilla, or to continue on with the company. But due to some bad weather, they're stuck in town for about a month. The town they're staying in has things that allow them to pass the time, which is good. During that time, they spend their time doing what they want. An argument between Stark and Fern gives Frieren a good excuse to get Sein to help out. They make up, of course. As the weather improves, Sein decides to take leave of the group, and head off to Tur, while the others continue on to Äußerst, the City of Magic. During their trek, Fern catches a cold, and they find a place to stay. Frieren and Stark search for herbs and a very special cherry tree that blooms in winter. They want a mushroom, though. Frieren holds Fern's hand, who finds it embarrassing, as she's no longer a child. Fern recovers, and they head out.

There is absolutely no action in this episode. It's purely about the characters and their development. But that's what this series is mainly about. We get an insight into Fern and Stark's growing relationship with each other, as well as Frieren's growing understanding of the humans she's travelling with. While not exciting, it was a great episode to feel calm and cosy with. I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters.

As I mentioned the opening and ending credits changed. The opening is no longer "Yuusha (Brave)" by YOASOBI, but "Haru (Sunny)" by Yorushika. This is still an upbeat opening, but less energetic than the first. It'll probably grow on me, but I'm already missing "Yuusha" as that's one of my favourite opening themes at the moment. The ending theme is the same song, but the animation has changed, and the music has changed a bit. "Anytime Anywhere" by milet is a more calm song than the opening, and I find it to be like a comfortable way to end the episode. The animation now features stop motion animation. I will discuss the opening and ending credits individually soon.

The preview of episode 18 looks interesting, as it's likely to be a Frieren-centred episode. However, episode 17 was very enjoyable.

Planetes Episode 25: What Is This Series Doing to Me?

 After episode 24, I had no idea what was going to happen in episode 25 of Planetes. Before you read on, this contains spoilers.

Tanabe and Claire were out in the middle of nowhere on the moon, running out of oxygen. Hachimaki was about to shoot Hakim. The terrorist situation was resolved, and the Von Braun was saved. But this episode started 6 months after those events. Hachi is experiencing some pretty serious psychological issues, but we don't know what happened. And what about Tanabe? Nothing about her at all.

Bit by bit, we learned what happened to each of the main characters, starting with everyone but the four I mentioned above. Though we know Hachimaki was selected to go to Jupiter. Slowly, we learned what happened between Hachimaki and Hakim, but we still don't know Hakim's fate. But as this episode continued, I had no idea what had happened with Tanabe. We discover she's alive, but she had quit Technora and returned to Earth. Throughout all of this, Hachimaki is extremely out of it. He's fighting his inner demons, but in a near death situation, he realises that he no longer needs to be alone. And who does he meet? Tanabe. She's been injured due to oxygen deprivation, but should make a full recovery. We also learn that Claire survived, but is in better shape. It's at this time, Hachi is back to his old self.

This episode was an emotional rollercoaster. I was constantly worried that Tanabe had died. The final scene was quite emotional between Hachi and Tanabe. I was hesitant to start watching this episode, but I am now relieved that I did. What an excellent story Planetes is turning out to be. But now I'm looking forward to episode 26. I need to know the conclusion.

The Difficulty of Finishing Anime Series

 I am two episodes away from finishing Planetes. This is a series that has entertained me for many episodes, then it became extremely serious. I honestly don't know what's going to happen. Approaching the climax, there's so much at risk, and many lives of characters I love are at stake. I'm about to watch episode 25, but I feel really apprehensive about it. I want to see the conclusion, but I hesitate.

This is a feeling that I've had so many times with various anime series that I've watched over the years. I have to push myself to watch some of these endings, as I know that protagonists can die. 

Not only that, I've started so many series, only got through a few episodes, and then didn't watch any more. Many of them, I've only gotten through four or eight episodes. Most of the time, I just didn't have access to more episodes, but other times, I have them on DVD, but never continued watching. Is it the unknown that stops me from continuing? I can't say it's that way now, as I feel like I really want to continue watching. However, there are some that I can occasionally feel uncomfortable watching because of second-hand embarrassment. These are usually romantic comedies where the protagonist is acting like an idiot. One big example is Maison Ikkoku. Godai is infuriating at times, but I want to see him succeed.

I need to carry on, though. I need to continue these series and see them through. I need to see what happens. Time to watch episode 25 of Planetes.

"Jama wa Sasenai" - Slayers Next Ending Theme

 The ending theme of Slayers Next, "Jama wa Sasenai" by Okui Masami is a classic to me. I've heard it so many times, it's one of those songs I can play again and again in my head. The singer, Okui Masami, is a fairly prolific anime theme song singer, as she's done several for Slayers along with Hayashibara Megumi (sometimes together), and is also well known for the Utena opening. But looking at this song, we have another upbeat song, which is typical of Slayers.

"Jama wa Sasenai" has a pop rock sound, and Okui's voice is very good. I really like how she sounds, so much that I have a couple of her CDs. The background features the main characters, still images sliding across the screen. Nothing really special about it, but it's a good backdrop. Overall, this is up there as one of my favourite anime ending themes.

Here's the ending sequence. Sorry about the intro to the video, as this was the best quality video I could find.

Let me know what you think of this song!

"Give a Reason" - Slayers Next Music

 The opening theme of Slayers Next is a song I have heard hundreds of times, and it never gets old. "Give a Reason" is sung by the voice of Lina Inverse, Hayashibara Megumi (I use Japanese order for names on this blog). She's probably my favourite voice actress, so you can probably guess how much I like this song. It's one of my favourites of hers, actually. The entire Slayers series of TV series, movies, and OAV series is full of great music by her.

This song has a very upbeat pop sound that gives you a lot of energy. It really sets the tone for Slayers Next. This is arguably my favourite Slayers TV opening. The animation is very characteristic of Slayers and features all the main characters, antagonists, and Xellos, whatever he is. Great opening for a fun show! Watch it below:

What do you think of this opening? Let me know in the comments!

Slayers Next Episode 8: An Unexpected Turn!

 I have probably seen Slayers Next three times. The first time was when I was a member of an anime club in the 1990s, then when I had the series on VHS. Yes, VHS. And now this is my third time. It's been a long time, so a lot of it is a very fuzzy memory. But I do remember this episode somewhat. There are some spoilers in this review!

We start off with our group (plus Xellos) arriving in Seyruun to look for the Claire Bible. However, they discover that Amelia's father, Prince Philionel has died. Amelia's Uncle Christopher and Alfred are there to deal with the aftermath. So now we have the premise set up. It's a mystery. And this is probably one of the most serious episodes of Slayers I have ever seen. Who did it? Why? And who is this mysterious character that looks like he's dressed like Batman? Seriously, the colours are the same as Batman!

As we go along, we find out what happened to Phil and discover that there is a new enemy. But who is this enemy? All we know is that he's a monster. This episode shows Amelia's strong bond with Phil, Lina's impatience, Gourry's usual obliviousness, and Zelgadis' annoyance. There isn't much to say about most of the main characters other than Amelia. And Xellos is off doing whatever. Funny episode? Somewhat. Not laugh out loud funny, but there are humourous moments. But where this episode shines is how it sets up a new story arc, which may be a rather serious set of episodes. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, even though I have seen this entire series before. Again, it's been about 25 years since I watched it.

The nostalgia factor here is fairly high, and I am enjoying. What did you think of this episode?

The Music of Rurouni Kenshin: Opening and Ending #1

 One of the biggest hooks for me in anime is the opening theme. I find that sets the tone, and gets me hyped up for the show. Sometimes, you have a great opening and a terrible show, or an incredibly dull opening and an incredible show. It doesn't define it, but I find that it does contribute to my enjoyment. I will be looking at the theme songs for each series I'm reviewing as I watch the episodes, and will include the first opening in full reviews.

This time, I'm looking at Rurouni Kenshin's first opening and ending. Keep in mind that this is for the 1996 TV series.

First up is the opening, "Sobakasu (Freckles)" by Judy & Mary. This is a very upbeat song that almost seems out of place with the theme of the show. But somehow it works with the tone of the show, which is often lighthearted. However, I'm not a huge fan of this style of music. It almost feels too childish, if you know what I mean. The animation shows the main characters effectively, and is fairly high quality, especially for 1996. Watch the opening below.

And now for the ending theme, "Tactics" by The Yellow Monkey. This is an upbeat rock song that feels more in line with the kind of show this is. I would definitely say that this works better than the opening, and I enjoy it quite a lot more. The imagery of the ending credits is a bit darker than the show is, but fits the song well. Below, you can watch the ending.

While the first theme songs are decent, the ending is the best so far. As I go through the series and others, I will be including any new openings and endings with the episode review. What do you think of these theme songs?

Rurouni Kenshin (1996) Episode 8 Impressions

 At the beginning of this episode, it was pretty lighthearted, and gave me a smile. But seeing as this was Rurouni Kenshin, things would get more heated. Of course, we are introduced to Takana Megumi (Doi Mika), a mysterious woman who doesn't give away her motives. Enter Takeda Kanryu (Tobita Nobuo) and the Oniwabanshu, headed by Shinomori Aoshi (Yasuhara Yoshito). The former is a criminal businessman, while the latter is head of a ninja group. And this sets up the battle in this episode. I won't go into details, but I will mention that this is a strong episode that created a lot of tension in more than one way, and I was thoroughly invested in the story and action.

The core characters continue to grow closer together, and it's nice to see Sano's loyalty to Kenshin grow. Kaoru's trust in Kenshin appears to grow in this episode, as well. And then there's Yahiko, who is his usual self, though always positive. Megumi is very questionable, though we are definitely going to be seeing more of her, as we are entering a new fight with a new enemy. This episode also introduces the characters Beshimi (Matsuno Taiki), Hyottoko (Iizuka Shozo), and Hannya (Nojima Akio). I'm looking forward to seeing how they all play into the coming episodes.